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Olmert is the first Israeli head of government to be sent to prison

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is to be released early from prison, where he is serving a 27-month sentence for corruption.

A parole board cut his term by a third, his lawyer Shani Illouz said. Olmert, jailed in February 2016, will go free on Sunday, she told Israeli radio.

Olmert is the first former Israeli head of government to be sent to prison.

He became prime minister in 2006 but resigned three years later when police recommended charges against him.

The 71-year-old is currently being investigated by the state attorney's office over suspicions he smuggled a chapter of a book he is writing out of prison, raising fears that it might compromise national security.